That I should even be writing about that word demonstrates how regular writing can benefit from a little self analysis.

That word had, for a long time, gone unnoticed by me and had crept in to nearly every sentence that I managed to put together, whether required or not. About a year and half a go was an important time as that was the time that that event happened that demonstrated my problem with that word.

 

Someone dropped me an email about a particular tip I had posted on my blog and asked the question, at the end of the communication, did I know I use the word ‘that’ quite often. A strange thing for someone to mention? That is when it dawned on me. Actually, that was not the exact moment that it dawned on me but it was the first time that that registered with me. From that time I became a little conscious of that particular word in my writing. Not only that but I was suddenly becoming aware of my own writing style and, fortunately, things began to change.

The Road Forward

I sat back from my writing for a while and started to read articles I had written, and I am glad I did. As a result, my writing style has changed a lot over the last year and a bit. Much of this change has been driven through regular practice of course, and excellent tips and advice from sites like the one run by Joanna, but a key contributor to change has been reflection.

Regular reflection now plays an important, if not vital, part of my writing process and spending time to sit down and read my own posts, with a critical eye, several times has been a rewarding experience. By reflecting regularly on my work I have become more aware of bad habits, little nuances, and improvements I can make to my writing style.

That is what worked for me – and I am still working at it. Oh and yes, I know I just used the word that again – but well spotted.

What sort of things have you noticed about your writing?

This post was inspired by the group writing project, lessons learned through writing, from Joanna Young of Confident Writing.